The memory of migrants and social participation in museums. Analysis of the exhibition ‘Huir con lo puesto’ [Fleeing with Only the Clothes on Your Back] at The Museo del Traje of Madrid

Abstract

The exhibition ‘Huir con lo puesto’ (25 October 2024–2 February 2025) at the Museo del Traje introduces a museological approach grounded in personal testimonies. Developed with UNHCR–ACNUR, it places the experiences of refugees at the centre of the exhibition narrative. The research for this paper was conducted through a focus group with the exhibition’s curators, aiming to examine their working process and curatorial decision-making. In contrast, the exhibition itself was developed through interviews carried out by the curators with refugees, whose stories directly inspired the design and creation of the pieces on display. This translation of lived experiences into material forms enables visitors to engage emotionally with the realities of forced displacement. The project reshapes curatorial practice toward participatory research and shared authorship. It also demonstrates how collaboration with migrant communities fosters inclusion, raises social awareness, and broadens institutional narratives by embedding marginalised voices within the museum discourse.